by Zhuang Bifan
There were a lot of mages who were participating in that round of trial. Hence, it was natural for them to bring along their attendants, which caused a shortage of housing. Since the attendants were mostly of no status, this place was thus an attempt to make room for them temporarily.
How would the mages be concerned about the lives of their lowly attendants?
It was not difficult to guess the motive of the Alanna Guild of Magic in sending Madrick over—it was to ensure the attendants did not cause trouble in the Guild of Magic.
No one from Alanna Guild of Magic would care about the methods Madrick adopted to maintain the order there.
The only one who would poke his nose into it would be Lin Li.
Sean was more than his attendant.
At most times, Lin Li treated Sean like his own little brother. Now that the little brother was hurt by Flaming Hands, how could the older brother forgive the culprit?
…
Chapter 130 - Madrick
"T-the person who arranged a-accommodation for me was a m-mage. H-he looked 40 years old, and was around t-this tall…" Sean replied clumsily when he got to the description of the physical appearance of the subject. He was just bad at expressing himself.
Despite the vague description, Lin Li could tell that Darian was the middle-aged mage Sean was trying to tell himself about.
Along the way, Sean was extra careful when he was around Lin Li as he feared to provoke him. Hence, while conversing with Lin Li, he could not help but stutter. It took him half a day to give Lin Li a rough idea.
That old building was truly the place they housed the people who came with the mages.
Upon bringing Sean there that day, Dorian asked Madrick to help him with registration. Sean could still remember that the men had a long conversation after the registration was completed. However, Sean was not aware of the contents of their conversation at all.
Then, Madrick brought Sean to his room, and told him the usual things to take note of when living in the hostel before leaving him there.
Yet, someone woke Sean up on the morning of the second day.
It was the drunk Madrick, whose breath was filled with the stench of alcohol, and he staggered as he walked.
Sean could vaguely remember the conversation he had with him. Madrick was a rude man who hurled a lot of vulgarities at him. He lashed out at Sean for his lowly presence at the Guild of Magic with disdain, and sulked because of his task to look after him…
After the scolding, he brought Sean out.
"Mr. Mage told me he needed an opponent to train with him…" murmured Sean as he lowered his head in an attempt to avoid eye contact with the raging Lin Li.
"And then he made you train with him??"
Lin Li was so furious that the green veins on his face were visible when he questioned Sean.
Sean was a white mouse for Madrick's magical experiments, not his magical training partner!
When they were at Jarrosus, Gerian told Lin Li something related to that.
He said that there were some mages who would use living specimens to test their skills. By attacking them repeatedly, they could estimate the effects of their spells. These experiments, however, usually involved low-grade magical beasts. That was the first time Lin Li ever heard people like Madrick, who used real humans for their tests.
Most importantly, that person was Sean…
"Continue."
Under Lin Li's pressurizing gaze, Sean had no choice but to continue.
He was right—that supposed 'magical training' was just a hoax. The first thing Madrick told Sean was that he should not be fighting back, and to maintain a 10-meter distance from him. Sean abided by everything innocently, which made him a perfect living target.
Although Sean was naturally strong, he had never learned martial arts. With those restrictions imposed on him, how could he be a mage's opponent? He was struck by many different magical attacks in the blink of an eye. There was a bruise on his c.h.e.s.t due to an attack by the Flaming Hands, a wound on his back caused by an explosion of an Air Bomb, and a cut on his calf as a result of a Wind Blade.
Thank goodness… Sean's life was still intact. Those magical spells did not manage to hit the critical regions.
Yet even if Sean had a strong body, being attacked by so many magical spells without defending himself would result in excruciating pain.
People who had not experienced the feeling of being attacked by magic would never understand that torment. Amidst the brilliant sparks of magic, there was the most murderous pain. For example, if the Air Bomb were to explode on one's back, he would feel as though he had triggered a firecracker inside his body.
Just a "POM!", and one could be battered to a pulp.
Even Sean, a man who could endure arduous tasks, pleaded Lin Li to let him move out of that hostel.
"Why didn't you retaliate?" Lin Li glared at Sean furiously. He was angry at him—angry at his innocence and honesty.
If somebody were to attack you out of ill intentions, it was only normal to hit him back.
Lin Li despised merciless people. That was his personality—if people did not offend him, he could be extremely polite to them. However, if they showed any signs of enmity, Lin Li could be very extreme too—just like how he killed Cromwell in Daylight Square, or how the bandits lost at least 10 of their members in the Sylvan Inn, and how the Adventurers from Ruby Moon Mercenary Corps died in the Thousand Leaves Bar…
"I could not fight back…" Sean muttered as he bent his head lower.
"Why?"
"I was afraid you might be angry if I hurt him… He's a mage too, isn't he?"
"…" Lin Li was utterly speechless, and felt extremely touched by his reply. He had imagined all sorts of causes that made Sean not fight Madrick back.
How foolish the real reason was! Although it was full of sincerity…
Lin Li opened his mouth, and wanted to speak—but he did not know how to. There were just some things that required him to be there to experience them before he would know what to do.
Hence, Lin Li only patted Sean's shoulders, and brought him into that short building.
An abandoned warehouse would naturally be incomparable to the condo the training mages like Lin Li lived in. These warehouses, however, were very spacious. Yet, they were extremely rundown. When Lin Li walked past the warehouses, there was a moldy stench coming from the rooms.
The rooms were temporarily separated by wooden dividers—one could feel the instability of the wall when he pushed it. The only decent room was the one deeper inside, which seemed like it'd been a storeroom in the past. From afar, it looked bright and spacious. There were also a few young mages sitting on the rattan chairs at the side, having a casual conversation with each other.
"May I ask if Mage Madrick is here?" Lin Li politely asked them. He was all smiles—he totally did not look like someone who was trying to find trouble.
"You are looking for Madrick?" one of the mages with a golden hair asked as he glanced at Lin Li with judgemental eyes.
"Yes."
The golden hair mage frowned as he asked suspiciously, "Who are you?"
This guy does not look like he belongs to Alanna Guild of Magic. The robe he is donning appears old and crumpled as well, just like what a poor fella would be dressed in.' Contrastingly, the teenager behind him was well-built and buff. He had a double-edged sword and a red leather armor that emitted faint magical waves. That was definitely a fabulous magical outfit.
"Hehe, I'm Felic from Jarrosus City."
"You know Madrick?" the person asked disdainfully upon hearing that Lin Li came from Jarrosus City. Since Jarrosus was quite a rural area on the continent, it was no wonder to that mage that Lin Li had such a shabby attire.
"Yeah…" Lin Li nodded his head ambiguously.
"It seems that Madrick isn't back yet. You could wait for him here…" Seeing how rugged Lin Li was, the young mage lost interest in him quickly. After speaking to Lin Li, he readj
usted his chair, and continued his superficial chat with his colleagues.
Hence, Lin Li and Sean waited for Madrick patiently. Since was still time to his meeting with Andoine, Lin Li was not in a rush.
After half an hour, the door was opened.
The man who entered the room wore a new gray mage robe, and looked at least 20-years-old. From afar, Lin Li realized that his appearance resembled Darian.
"Mr. Felic, that's Mage Madrick…" Sean whispered into Lin Li's ear.
"Alright…" Lin Li replied, and nodded his head.
Before Lin Li could speak to anyone else, that young mage shouted, "Madrick, someone's looking for you!"
"Who?"
"Felic from Jarrosus City. HAHAHAHA! Didn't know you went to such a big city before!"
His ironic use of the phrase 'big city' led to sarcastic laughter from the other mages.
"What crap are you talking about? How would I have gone to such a rural place…"
"Greetings, Mage Madrick." Lin Li smiled, addressing him very politely.
"You are…?"
"My name is Felic, and I'm from Jarrosus," Lin Li introduced himself, and reached out with his hand.
"I don't know any Felic—" said Madrick, but he was interrupted by a cream white glow that suddenly appeared from the open palm.
What followed immediately was a "POM!"
An Arcane Missiles flew out of Lin Li's hand into Madrick's c.h.e.s.t.
The Arcane Missile had proven its power—Matthias became a cripple due to the four shots of it. Although Lin Li did not exert his full force, it was enough to send Madrick flying out of the door.
In that instance, he felt as though someone rammed a hammer into his c.h.e.s.t. There was no time to react.
"Now, do you know me?" Lin Li asked as he continued to smile. Yet, his killing intent was known to all.
That sudden change shocked everyone.
The few young mages who were sitting on the rattan chairs got up, and surrounded Lin Li at once; they even had their spells prepared, but none dared to strike Lin Li.
The poor and unkempt young mage they had previously despised transformed into a powerful monster, whose skills were unfathomable. That beast merely used a single Arcane Missile to injure Madrick severely. Who knew what terrifying consequences would befall them if they were to fire at Lin Li?
"You—" Madrick tried to speak, but a gush of hot blood spluttered out of his throat. Even if he was not a weak mage, but the strong-freak—Sean—it would still be impossible to get away unharmed.
What followed was a series of coughing, and a broken voice filled with great pain, as though the lungs were going to be coughed out. Only after a while did Madrick struggle to ask, "W-Who… are you?"
"It is alright if you don't know me," said the grinning Lin Li, who then pointed at Sean who was by his side. "You should know him, right?"
Chapter 131 - Mineral Veins
Madrick's face turned pale the moment he saw Sean. How could he not know what he had done? Thinking back to what had happened two days ago, Madrick swallowed his saliva with much difficulty, and his expression revealed some fear. "What… What exactly do you want?"
"What do I want? Heh heh…" Lin Li bent down with a grin on his face as he stared into Madrick's eyes. "Don't be so nervous. I don't want to do anything to you. It's just that I've heard Sean mention today that a mage called Madrick is missing an opponent to practice with. I wonder if I can have the honor?"
"Really?" Madrick looked suspicious, and retreated unconsciously. He didn't know why, but he always thought this fellow named Felic looked frightening when he smiled.
"Of course!" Lin Li nodded seriously, and his face was unusually sincere.
But at the same time, a wind blade tore through the air, and a light swoosh was heard. The wind blade closed in on Madrick's inner t.h.i.g.h, and made a long, deep cut.
"Ah!" A shrill cry sounded. In an instant, blood was cascading out of Madrick's t.h.i.g.h. Large tracts of blood streamed from the wound and dyed his brand-new gray mage robe red in a flash. Madrick's eyes were full of horror; he screamed in despair while desperately clutching his wound.
However, no matter how he tried to cover it, he couldn't stop the blood from flowing out…
"How's that, Mage Madrick? I'm quite a good practice buddy, right?" Lin Li said cheerfully as he stretched out one hand.
There was no indication of him reciting a spell at all, but all of a sudden, there was a violent surge of magical wave, and a soft explosion followed by a ball of flame ignited from his hand.
Madrick felt his scalp go numb as he watched the dancing flames. He finally knew what the fellow wanted to do—he wanted to reenact what'd happened the day before yesterday. However, the one who was going to lie wailing on the ground would be him instead of the country boy.
"Don't come near me!" Madrick seemed to have lost it suddenly. He desperately crawled towards a corner, even disregarding the wound on his t.h.i.g.h. He screamed in anguish as he crawled. "Darian is my uncle, he won't let you off!"
"Darian's your uncle?" The slowly descending Flaming Hands froze in midair; the blazing flame was almost touching Madrick's nose.
"Phew…" The Flaming Hands did not come down, and Madrick's tightly clenched heart finally relaxed. After letting out a long sigh, he felt a chill on his back. Madrick knew that the Flaming Hands was not used just to scare him. If he had uttered those words a second slower, it would already have landed on his c.h.e.s.t. Fortunately, he was quick-witted to mention Uncle Darian at a critical time…
"The guild's Archmage, Darian, is my uncle. I'd advise you not to do anything rash…" At the thought of his Archmage uncle, Madrick felt somewhat emboldened.
"Oh… So your uncle is called Darian, I thought it was Gerian…" Lin Li nodded, and at the same time, the Flaming Hands came down.
"Sizzle…" When the Flaming Hands came down, a plume of white smoke sprung up instantly. Amidst the smoke, a strong stench of burnt flesh spread, followed by a shrill cry. Madrick fainted almost at the same time the Flaming Hands came down on his c.h.e.s.t. It felt as if being branded by a burning iron. The pain was far beyond what an ordinary person could endure. At that moment, Madrick even suspected that his c.h.e.s.t had been cooked…
Everyone took in a hissing cold breath on seeing the cruel scene.
The few young mages stood stupefied there, looking at Lin Li with eyes that were filled with fear. No one had expected the fellow to be so ruthless. Madrick had already mentioned that his uncle was the guild's Archmage, Darian. However, the fellow seemed to have never heard him, and presented Madrick with a Flaming Hands without second thought, almost cooking his skin right there and then.
Everyone wondered what kind of background the fellow had to be so overly arrogant. The unconcerned attitude he carried was as if he had no regard for Archmage Darian…
Lin Li was not interested in knowing what they were thinking. He stood up, refreshed, and clapped the ashes off his hands. With a smile on his face, he said politely, "Goodbye, Mage Madrick. Remember to say hello to your uncle for me."
Almost everyone, including Madrick, heaved a long sigh of relief when they heard the words. They were finally seeing this pestilence away…
But as soon as the idea popped up, they saw the pestilence halt his steps and say, "I forgot the Air Bomb…"
"…"
Then, there was a muffled sound of explosion. Madrick, who was already somewhat out of his senses, jumped like a frog at the muffled noise. In an instant, there was only a splash of blood; a pool of red—mingled with minced flesh and torn rags—splashed all over the ground.
After the Air Bomb, Madrick seemed to be dead—he lay limply on the ground, and even his breathing became very weak. Everyone saw clearly that his whole back had been blown up. From a distance, it was a bloody pile of flesh, just as if he had just been bitten by a wild animal. The flesh and blood were mingled together, and there were a few pieces of cloth in it. The terrible sight mad
e everyone hiss, taking a cold breath…
"Sean, let's go."
Having done all this, Lin Li left with Sean without another look at Madrick. Such a small character was not worth his attention.
…
When they returned to the guild hall, Andoine had been waiting there for a long time, along with Macklin, the goat-like beard-wearing old man. The latter was really shocked when Andoine entered the door earlier on. The first thought that came to his mind was: It's over, this old fellow has come to find trouble with Aeron…
At the moment, instead of reporting to Aldwin, he had rushed downstairs, and greeted Andoine warmly while trying to probe into his intentions.
But the old fellow was so tight-lipped that he refused to reveal why he had come. He looked around and asked about Felic from time to time, which had Macklin in trepidation, nearly scaring him into a nervous breakdown. He was afraid that he would say a wrong word and make the old fellow think that Felic had suffered grievances in the Guild of Magic—things would be serious then…
It was simply a torture to Macklin.
Fortunately… The duration of such torture was not too long.
When Lin Li walked into the guild hall, Macklin was so relieved that he could hardly wait to jump up and kiss him. Master Felic, Master Felic, you're finally here. Send the old pestilence away as soon as possible…
"Kid, where did you go?" Andoine had waited for a long while, and his patience was wearing thin. Just as he was about to reprove the kid, he suddenly noticed a young man, who had a massive frame just like that of a magical beast, following behind Lin Li. In that moment, his eyes could not help but reveal some surprise. "He is…?"
"He's Sean, my friend from Jarrosus."
"Not bad, not bad." The old man nodded. He had said exactly the same thing as Gerian.
As for the reason behind "not bad", Andoine did not elaborate.
However, it'd be the same whether he elaborated or not. It was impossible for Sean to know who had praised him with his knowledge. He only knew that this kind-looking old man seemed to be complimenting himself. So, he bowed his head, and gave two modest giggles, which amused Macklin, who was standing at a side…